Updates from the Health Department
December 22, 2025
Tips from our health department nutritionistsAs 2026 approaches, practice some healthy eating habits and get ready to enter the new year on a nutritious note.1. Plan meals aheadJust like you might plan dishes for your holiday gatherings, try planning your meals for the week ahead of time. Make a grocery list: start by listing ingredients and quantities for the meals you plan to make and cross off items you already have. Be sure to add beverages and snacks to your list as well. Not only does planning meals ahead make it easier to eat nutritiously, but it also saves time and money by decreasing last-minute cooking stress and reducing food wasted. Learn how to make a meal plan.2. Make your food exactly how you want it by cooking at homeWhen you make your meals at home, you can choose the best ingredients and cooking methods. Choosing baking over frying, adding more dry fruits and less sugar, and using more spices and less salt are just a few ways to increase the nutritious value of your home-cooked meals.3. Get the whole family involvedDuring holiday celebrations, family members love to get involved in the meal planning and prepping. Make meals a group activity year-round. Children who help plan and prepare meals are more likely to try new foods and prioritizing family mealtime improves healthy eating behaviors.4. Use online resourcesIt can feel hard to meet your nutrition goals and keep meals flavorful and fun. Meals should include five food groups: fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy or fortified soy products. MyPlate can you help you achieve this by providing options for each food group and creative ways to use them. Visit MyPlate to find nutrition information. recipes and more.5. Practice mindfulnessWith so many food options, mealtime can feel overwhelming. By taking time to explore the color, smell, taste, texture and temperature of each bite and paying attention to how your body feels, you can make mealtime more enjoyable and prevent yourself from eating too much or too little. Follow this script to practice mindful eating.6. Keep mealtime a distraction-free zoneMealtime is a great opportunity to relax, reset, and refuel your body. Take full advantage of this by making mealtime a screen-free, stress-free zone. Whether you use the time to catch up with loved ones around the dinner table or practice mindful eating on your own, remember the purpose of mealtime: to nourish your body and soul.7. Love your safe leftoversWhen cooking large holiday meals or doing weekly meal-planning, you will likely find yourself with leftovers. Remember to refrigerate promptly and follow food safety every step of the way. Learn more about the four steps to food safety: clean, separate. cook, chill.8. Reduce food waste and give back to the planetFood waste can be harmful to both the environment and your wallet. You can reduce your food waste by selecting fruits and vegetables wisely, storing produce properly, preparing fruits and vegetables cleverly, and composting the scraps.9. Enjoy and repeat!Practice these healthy eating habits all year-round.Nutrition ResourcesWoman, Infants, and Children (WIC) ProgramMyPlate EatRight SNAP-Ed ConnectionAmerican Heart AssociationVirginia Cooperative Extension
December 15, 2025
Are you passionate about creating healthier communities and driving meaningful change? The Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax (PFHF) is seeking its next Co-Chair—and it could be you (or someone you know)! Established in 2010, the PFHF is a dynamic coalition of leaders and changemakers from government, business, nonprofits, healthcare, academia, community organizations and residents, working together to improve health and well-being for all in the Fairfax community. The PFHF oversees a multi-year Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), a roadmap to address the most pressing health challenges in the Fairfax community.Why Join PFHF as a Co-Chair?As PFHF Co-Chair, you’ll have the unique opportunity to: ✔ Be a Change Leader: Guide strategy and inspire action to improve health outcomes for all in the Fairfax community. ✔ Collaborate with Diverse Partners: Work closely with a dedicated network of multi-sector community partners and residents. ✔ Shape the Future of Public Health: Play a significant role in advancing health equity and addressing root causes of health disparities.This is an unpaid position. However, the impact you’ll make as a leader in the Fairfax community is priceless.If you are a dedicated, motivated leader with a commitment to community health, we invite you to step forward and help shape the future of the Partnership for a Healthier Fairfax. Together, we’ll create a healthier, more equitable tomorrow for the Fairfax community.Are you interested in this position? Read the full role description to learn more about what the position entails.Email us at LiveHealthy@fairfaxcounty.gov to learn more or submit an application by Friday, February 27, 2026, at: Partnership Co-Chair Application.
December 11, 2025
Applications are now open for the Spring 2026 cohort of the Public Health Youth Ambassador Program (PHYAP), offering high school age students across Fairfax County a flexible and meaningful way to build real-world skills and connections in health care and community health.
The program’s Evening and Weekend option, held at the Fairfax County Government Center, is open to all 10th–12th grade students who live in Fairfax County—whether they attend public, private, faith-based, or home schools. This flexible schedule is ideal for teens with full daytime calendars, extracurricular activities, or part-time jobs, and gives families multiple ways to make the program work. Evening sessions run Monday through Thursday, and a weekend class meets each Saturday morning. Students can choose between two hands-on tracks: the High School & Young Adult Opioid Reduction Training Program or the Young Adult Mental Health Worker Program. Both options help students develop practical skills they can use right away in their schools and communities while strengthening college and career readiness.
PHYAP also continues to offer daytime programs through its long-standing partnerships with John R. Lewis High School, Justice High School, and Mount Vernon High School. At these schools, eligible students participate in Community Health Worker training during their advisory periods three days a week, gaining experience through lessons and hands-on activities led by trained facilitators.
Students in both programs also earn certifications from the Morehouse School of Medicine and George Mason University’s School of Public Health. These nationally recognized institutions guide the curriculum, helping to ensure that students receive high-quality training grounded in real public health needs.
Becoming a Public Health Youth Ambassador gives students far more than classroom knowledge. PHYAP offers a chance to build confidence, develop leadership skills, and explore real career pathways in a growing field. Teens walk away with nationally recognized certifications, hands-on experience that stands out on college and scholarship applications, and a deeper understanding of issues that directly affect their friends, families, and communities.
Applications for the Spring 2026 cohort are now open, and space is limited. Interested students are encouraged to apply early to increase the chances of being selected. The application deadline is Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026.
Follow the link to learn more about the Public Health Youth Ambassador Program, including how to submit an application.
December 5, 2025
The Fairfax County Health Department has confirmed rabies in a cat located in Belle Haven/Alexandria at approximately 13th and H Street. If you, someone you know, or a pet was touched, bitten, or scratched by the cat between Nov. 20 and Nov. 28, 2025, you are urged to call the Fairfax County Health Department Rabies Program at 703-246-2433, TTY 711.
The cat attacked multiple people and pets on the evening of Nov. 28 near the intersection of 13th and H Streets in the Belle Haven neighborhood of Alexandria. During the time it was sick, the cat may have had contact with other people or pets. The cat is described as a domestic shorthair male with orange/white coloring and a tipped ear. The cat has been captured, and the purpose of this notice is for notification and to identify any additional potential exposures.
Rabies is a serious disease caused by a virus that can infect wildlife (e.g. foxes, raccoons, skunks and bats), as well as domestic animals, such as dogs and cats. The rabies virus is found in the saliva, brain and spinal tissue of an infected animal. People may get infected with rabies when they are bitten or scratched by an animal that is sick with the disease. The virus can also be passed along when an infected animal’s saliva or central nervous tissue enters an open wound, mouth, nose or eyes of another mammal. To date, 32 animals have been diagnosed with rabies in Fairfax County in 2025.
Animals with rabies may act normally during the early stages of the disease, making it difficult to know if the animal is infected. As the disease progresses, animals often show changes in behavior. For example, wild animals may act very docile, and domestic animals may become aggressive. Rabid animals may stagger, drool, or become paralyzed.
Here are some important steps to protect yourself and your pets from rabies:
Stay away from wild animals. Remember, if the animal is not your own, leave it alone! Do not adopt or feed wild or stray animals.
Be sure pets are vaccinated against rabies every year.
Do not allow your pets to roam unattended.
Seal openings in your house so that wildlife cannot enter.
Report animal bites, animals that are acting strangely (including domestic animals), or altercations between wild and domestic animals to Fairfax County Animal Control at 703-691-2131, TTY 711.
If bitten or scratched by an animal that might have rabies, wash the wound thoroughly with soap and water and seek medical attention right away. When vaccinations are provided in time and appropriately, rabies treatment is 100% effective in preventing the disease. If not treated, rabies is 100% fatal.
More information about rabies can be found on the rabies webpage.
Wash Your Hands Often
Mosquito & Tick Bite Prevention
Health Dept. Strategic Plan
Parents: Get your child's immunizations up-to-date!
Ensuring children are up-to-date on their vaccinations helps provide immunity before they are exposed to potentially life-threatening diseases.
And remember, vaccination it important at all ages. Parents, grandparents, and caregivers, make sure you are up to date, too!